Outdoor & pub games
Minigolf
Get the ball into the hole on each lane in as few strokes as possible, over a course of eighteen lanes. The lowest total wins.
- players
- 1–8
- minutes
- 60
- variants
- 5
You’ll need: a minigolf course, a putter and a ball per player. Marquoir gives you all the rules and keeps score.
Never played? Aim of the game and full rulesStep by step, with examples, for a first game.Setup
- An approved course has 18 numbered lanes (holes), played in order.
- Each player has a putter and a ball.
- Each lane has a marked tee-off area and a hole; many have obstacles, and some have a border line painted in red that the ball must cross.
- In competition, you don't keep your own scorecard: a playing partner, or a scorekeeper, writes down the strokes.
How to play
- On a lane, players go one after another: wait until the previous player has finished the lane and left the playing area.
- Place your ball in the tee-off area, then play your strokes until it is in the hole, always from where it came to rest, except in the cases set out by the rules.
- If the ball has not crossed the border line, play again from the tee-off area; the stroke counts.
- If the ball leaves the lane after crossing the border line, put it back where it went out.
- Obstacles must be passed the intended way: a ball that jumps one is put back after the last obstacle it passed correctly.
- A ball stuck against an obstacle or the edge may be moved at a right angle, over a short distance set by the rules, so that it can be played.
Scoring
- Every stroke is a point.
- Six strokes without holing out: stop there and write down 7, the most a lane can cost. Abandoning a lane also scores 7.
- The total over the eighteen lanes gives the score for the round.
- In Marquoir, enter each player's number of strokes on each lane, from 1 to 7.
End of the game
- The game ends after the eighteenth lane: the lowest total wins.
- In match play, each lane goes to the best score in the group, and the player who wins the most lanes takes the game.
- In tournaments, a tie for one of the top three places is settled by sudden death: the players concerned play again from lane 1 until their scores differ.
House rules and pitfalls
- In competition, time is limited: 70 seconds for the first stroke of the first player on each lane, then 60 seconds per stroke.
- On leisure courses of 9 or 12 lanes, scoring stays the same; Marquoir offers these lengths when you start the game.
never played?Aim of the game and full rules7 chapters · about 3 min read
Object of the game
Minigolf is played with a putter and a ball, on a course of numbered lanes. On each one, you start from a tee-off area and try to reach the hole in as few strokes as possible. Then you add up the strokes from every lane: the lowest total wins.
The course
An approved course has eighteen lanes, played in order, from 1 to 18. Each lane has:
- a tee-off area, where the first stroke is played from;
- an edge, often a small barrier, that bounds the playing surface;
- often fixed obstacles, to be passed the intended way;
- sometimes a border line, painted in red, that the ball must cross to stay in play;
- a hole, no more than 12 cm across.
Playing a lane
- Wait until the previous player has finished the lane.
- Place your ball in the tee-off area.
- Hit it with the putter: each hit is a stroke.
- Play the ball again from where it stopped, until it drops into the hole.
- Have your number of strokes written down, then make way for the next player.
It counts as a stroke the moment the putter, in mid-swing, sets the ball moving. An accidental nudge, when you weren't about to play, doesn't count.
Special cases
- The ball hasn't crossed the red line: it goes back to the tee-off area, and the stroke counts.
- The ball leaves the lane after crossing the red line: put it back where it went out.
- The ball jumps an obstacle instead of passing it normally: put it back just after the last obstacle it passed correctly.
- The ball is stuck against an obstacle or the edge: you may move it at a right angle so you can hit it. The rules set the distance, from 20 to 50 cm depending on the case.
for example
On lane 4, Léa's ball stops before the red line. She takes it back to the tee-off area: her second stroke will start from there, and the first one still counts.
Scoring
Each stroke is worth one point. After six strokes, if the ball still isn't in, you stop there: you write down 7, the most you can score on a lane. You also write down 7 when you give up on a lane part way through.
for example
Tom sinks his ball on the third stroke: he writes down 3. On the next lane, he misses six times in a row: he writes down 7 and moves on.
Winning
After the last lane, add up the points: the lowest total wins. In match play, compare scores lane by lane: each lane goes to the best score, and whoever wins the most lanes takes the game.
In competition, a tie for the podium is decided by sudden death: the players concerned play again from lane 1, one lane at a time, until a lane separates them.
Tips for beginners
- Look at the lane before you play: an obstacle is often better taken gently than hard.
- A safe first stroke that crosses the red line is better than an over-ambitious one that sends you back to the tee.
- When playing in a group, hand the scorecard to another player: that is the rule in competition, and it avoids mistakes.
Variants
Course
18 holes (official rules)
12 holes
9 holes
Scoring mode
Stroke play
The lowest total of strokes wins.
Match play
One point to the best score on each hole: the most holes won takes the game.
chosen when starting, the scorer follows
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum number of strokes on a minigolf lane?
Seven. Under the rules, if the ball isn't in after six strokes, you write down 7 and move on to the next lane.
What happens if the ball doesn't cross the red line?
You play it again from the tee-off area, and the missed stroke still counts.
What should you do when the ball leaves the lane?
If it had already crossed the border line, put it back where it went out and carry on. Otherwise, start again from the tee-off area.
Who wins at minigolf?
Whoever has the lowest total over the whole course. In match play, it is whoever won the most lanes.
The box
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- DexterityPaper and Pencil
- Contents
- A course of 18 numbered holes
- 1 putter and 1 ball per player